2
min read
The red thread that makes or breaks your brand
The invisible through-line that separates iconic brands from the thousands trying to look like them
Every brand wants to look like Apple. Almost none of them should.
Because what most companies need isn't minimalism—it's consistency. And that's harder to build than clean lines.
A lot of clients come to us with Apple on their mood board. And what they're really asking for is the Ferrari of brands—something that feels premium, intentional, unmistakably them.
But here's what separates Apple from the thousands of companies trying to look like Apple: the red thread.
What is the red thread?
The red thread is the invisible throughline that connects every customer touchpoint. It's not just visual consistency—it's strategic consistency.
At Apple, the business strategy informs the brand strategy, which informs the messaging, which informs the design. The scroll on the website matches the texture of the iPhone box, the look of the ad, the feel of the store. Every touchpoint is stitched together with the same precision, tone, and attention to detail.
Apple's not the only one who nails this. Patagonia does it brilliantly—the same grit and purpose you feel in their stores and films is present in their website, product tags, social posts, even the hold music when you call customer service.
In the world of SaaS, Notion, Stripe, and Linear come up as references time and again because they've all mastered the red thread—that invisible throughline connecting every moment of the customer's experience.
What a broken thread looks like
The opposite? A broken thread.
I've seen homepages that are spectacular—stunning type, sharp layout, perfect color system—only for the sign-up journey to look like it came from a different planet.
Suddenly the typeface changes, the headings shrink to an H4, the colors shift, the layout breaks. It's jarring. And jarring loses trust.
It's like downloading the latest Eminem track on Limewire…only to get Rickrolled.
And this goes beyond design. The red thread runs through tone of voice, motion design, photography, even customer support scripts.
Every customer touchpoint either strengthens the thread—or frays it.
A red thread means your brand is more than just a brand system in a Figma file—it's a lived experience. Your website is your brand. Your product is your brand. Each performance ad you put out is also your brand.
When the thread is strong, a customer recognizes you blindfolded. When it's broken, they question whether they're dealing with the same company.
Ask yourself: If a customer moved from your website to your product to a sales email to a support interaction—would it feel like the same company?
Not just visually. Tonally. Strategically. Emotionally.
If you stripped away the logo, would they still know it's you?
That's the test.
Building a red thread requires more than a style guide.
It requires:
Strategic clarity about who you are and what you stand for
Discipline to maintain consistency even when it feels constraining
Systems that make consistency easier to maintain than break
Leadership that understands brand as business strategy, not decoration
You don't need to be Apple. But you do need a red thread. And your job is to weave that thread so tightly that your customers feel it in every interaction—whether they can name it or not.
That's what turns a visual identity into a brand experience. And that's what makes you unforgettable.